Vehicle jack



'May 7,1935. Q W TE 2,000,503

VEHICLE JACK Filed June 25, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 7, 1935. i w n-2,000,503

r VEHICLE JACK Fil ed June 25, 1954 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Stun/MA;

Patented May 7, 1935' i K UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-1 VEHICLE JACK TomC. White, Billings, Mont. ApplicationJune 25, 1934, Serial No. 732.313

' 12 Claims. (01154-133) This invention relates to lifting jacks, and,tical plate In is bent or curved upwardly from more particularly, toelevating jacks for vehicles its midpoint, so that the ends H and I2 arearwherein the jack head or elevating platform is cuately disposed andthe head is substantially self-centering. I concave. Thehead I ismounted or affixed on 5 An object of the invention is to provide'ajackthe jack elevating rod by a screw, rack bar, or 5 head which will centeritself under the vehicle hydraulic plunger, in a slightlyoff-center'posiaxle without the necessity of the operator crawltion. Theforward portion l3 of the elliptical ing beneath the car to place thehead in position. plate Ill is of considerably greater radius than Astill further object of the invention is to conthe rear portion H. Informing the head the struct a self-centering jack-head which willbefront end [2 is bent or pressed outwardly at the 10 come operativeeven though the head strikes the portion 13 to form an offset nose orcam surface axle at an angle and one which will insure the l5 on theupper side of the plate. Aside from centering of the axle directly overthe elevating mounting the plate l0 off center, the larger forrod andalso prevent the car from falling off the ward end I2 is bent upward toa greater height 15 jack-head. J from the horizontal plane of theelevating rod 15 In the drawings Fig. 1 is illustrative of a conthan isthe rearward end II. N ventional screw type jack provided with the novelReferring t axle, While self -centering head, a A denotes an automobilespring hanger, or other Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the headportion of the running gear of an automobile,

supporting the vehicle axle. against which the jack-head is contacted.When 20 Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the head the rounded nosel5, or any other forward p illustrated in Fig. 2. tion of the head l0,strikes the axle A, it will Fig. 4 is a similar head mounted on a rackturn or swivel on the screw 4 and swing the lower bar type of jack. endll of the head thereunder. Fig. 5 illustrates the self-centering head inFig. 2 is a view of the axle B after being cen- 25 combination with ahydraulic jack. tered over the head Ill (in reverse position from Fig. 6is a top plan view of the self-centering Fig. 1). It should be borne inmind that it is head. not necessary for the forward edge of the cam Thepresent invention is rimarily a jack-head face 15 to strike directly onthe axle, but any or elevator platform applicable to all types ofportion of the nose may contact therewith and 30 vehicle lifting jacks,whether they be operated by the jack-head will immediately andautomatian elevating screw, a rack bar, or a hydraulic cally turn andcenter itself. Thereupon, conpump mechanism. In Fig. 1 the invention istinued operation of the elevating mechanism will shown asappliedtoaconventional screw type jack lift the car.

which comprises a removable ground-engaging Fig. 4 illustratesthe'self-centering head swiv- 35 platform I in which is bracketed theenlarged elled on a non-rotating lifting rod by means of base 2.Integrally formed with the base 2 is holcollar 20 and set screw 2| whichrides in an low column 3 in which is telescoped screw 4. annular groove22 formed in the upper end of Suitable pinions 5 and 6 are mountedinteriorly of the rack bar 23.

4 casing 1 in the upper portion of the column 3, Fig. 5 is directed tothe attachment of the 40 with the screw 4 threaded through the center ofself-centering head In to a hydraulic type jack. pinion 5. The pinion 6is rotated by a detach- The head is afiixed to vertical adjusting screw25 able shaft 8 which terminates in an extension carried by piston 26which is elevated through handle. the medium of fluid in cylinder 21,the fluid being Rigidly afiixed to the upper end of the screw compressedby pump 28. The primary adjust- 45 4 is the self-centering jack-head orelevator platment to secure the approximate height being form I0. madeby elevating the screw 25, the jack is then Referring to the severalviews, and particularly merely pushed under the car by its extended tothe top plan shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen handle. After becomingcentered, as before dethat the head I 0 consists essentially of anelliptiscribed, the pump 28 is operated to elevate piston 50 callyshaped plate having all of its surface edges 26 and lift the vehicle.rounded, so that no portion of the head presents It will be understoodby those skilled in the a sharp edge. art that the jackheads orplatforms illustrated Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be observed,in the drawings and defined in the appended in side elevation and invertical section, the ellipclaims may be constructed separately and at-55 tached to any type of conventional vehicle jack.

What I claim is:

1. A self-centering, lifting head for jackscomprising an upwardlycurved, elliptically shaped plate, one end of the curved plate rising toa greater height than the other end of the said plate.

2. A lifting head for jacks comprising an upwardly curved, ellipticallyshaped plate having all of its surface edges rounded, the upward curveof one end of said plate being of less height than the other endthereof.

3. A lifting head for jacks comprising an upwardly curved, ellipticallyshaped plate, the surface edges of said plate being rounded and in whichthe curvature and height of one end of. said plate is greater than thecurvature and height of the opposite end of said plate.-

4. In a vehicle jack, an elevating rod, a rotatable, axle-engaging head,said head consisting of an arcuately shaped, elliptical plate supportedslightly off center on the upper end of said rod, and a rounded offsetsection formed on one portion: of said arcuate. plate and. adapted tocontact with the axle of a vehicle and. rotate said head to engagingposition,v

5'. In anelevating device, a vertically movable rod, an elliptical headeccentricall-y affixed to said rod, said elliptical head being.arcuately bent to present itsends in elevated position above thehorizontal plane of the midsection: of said head, one of said ends beingbent to a higher elevation than the other of said ends, and apressedeout portion forming a camface onthe underside of said higherelevated end. 7

6. In a vehicle jack, an. elevating rod, a concave plate mounted forrotation onor with said rod, said plate being of substantiallyelliptical shape, the end of the elliptical plate having the greaterradius rising to a greater height above the end of said rod than doesthe end of the plate having the smaller radius.

7. An axle-engaging head for vehicle jacks comprising a rounded edgedand ended plate, the end portions of the plate being bent upwardly withone of the said upwardly bent ends rising to a greater elevation thanthe other of said ends, and an outwardly extending nose portion on theouter surface of the end portion having the greater height.

8. In a vehicle jack, an elevating rod, a selflocating lifting headattached thereto, said head comprising a low vehicle engaging portionand an upwardly extending vehicle contacting portion.

9. Irrvehicle jacks, a self-centering head therefor,.said.head includinga platform section adapted to support the weight of a vehicle thereon,and an. upstanding section adapted to contact and be arrested by theportion of the vehicle to be lifted prior to the actual lifting thereof.

10. In: a self-centering and self-arrestinghaad for vehicle jack-s, aweight supporting platform integrally formed in one portion of saidhead, and an upwardly extending offset portion. in-

tegrally formed. in another portion of said. head.

1.1 A vehicle jack including a lifting rod, 8. self-centering headattached to the upper end thereof, said, head having a vehiclesupporting portion substantially in the plane of the upper terminus ofsaid lifting. rod and head centering portion in. a plane above the upperterminus of said rod.

12.]A. vehicle jack including a lifting rod, a self-1ocating liftinghead attached to the upper end thereof, said head comprising a baseplate adaptedi'tc engage a portion of a vehicle, the central portion:and one end. of. said plate being in a substantially lower horizontalplane than the opposite end of said. plate.

TOM C. WHITE.

